This weekend is my bridal shower. Well actually there’s 2. We had so many people want to celebrate that we had to have 2 separate showers! It’s gonna be a crazy weekend. My bridesmaids are all going to be there- which is the first time they all get to meet one another. I’m so excited to see all of them. I’m so grateful to have the most wonderful friends. Marissa, Miranda, Julie and Angela- thank you so much for being there for me through it all. Sometimes, when I get stressed out, I lose sight of how lucky I am to have all these wonderful people in my life.

The first shower will be on Saturday, held at my mother’s house and hosted by my sister and Matron of Honor, Julie. It’s a “The Big Apple” theme. My only request was apple martinis! Tasty. The second shower is being held at a winery in Niagara, hosted by my future Mother and Sister in Laws. We will be doing a wine tasting!

We will also be having our engagement photos done this weekend. I can’t wait to meet our photographer, finally! I feel like we know each other already from the past year of talking on Facebook and helping her with some SEO on her blog.

I can’t wait to come back and post some pictures! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

If you’re planning your wedding and haven’t heard of Etsy- go there now. You can find anything you need and customize it to your desire with experienced designers. Invitations, jewelry, garters, pillows, gifts, articles of clothing, truly anything can be found and designed specifically for you. I found a few items that I want to share.

I found my headpiece on Etsy for a fabulous $45 through Brendasbridalveils. And just recently I purchased my sash/belt for my dress from EmiciBridal. The designer is Marie and she makes gorgeous sashes, pillows, and headpieces and is happy to customize anything you need. Her belt that I found was beautiful as is but I wanted it a little longer and sewn on top of a black ribbon so it won’t snag my dress. She’s making the alterations and my belt should be here in a couple weeks. I can’t wait to see it! The original belt is $125 and with my customizations I’m paying $200. Totally worth it considering other belts in bridal salons are easily twice this much and not as well made. This is the belt without my requested customizations-

Another one of my favorite Etsy vendors is Cathy5591. She makes some beautiful, delicate necklaces including this original beauty that gracefully decorates the brides back. And these pieces are a total steal $45-$60.

And check out these gorgeous bolero jackets from Tiana Che. Perfect for a bride who wants a little extra style or warmth. And no matter what color you choose, you can wear these long after the wedding is over as an awesome statement piece with a cute pair of jeans and some heels. HUGE plus. They are priced around $200.

These earrings ($119) are also a love of mine. They don’t necessarily go with the rest of my accessories otherwise, I’d buy them myself. But Lizardi Bridal makes really beautiful vintage looking jewelry and will customize any of her pieces to be perfect for you.

As I mentioned, these items are all at great prices and significantly less than what you’d pay at a bridal salon. Do some shopping around before you commit to your jewelry. These are pieces that you’ll want to keep around and even potentially pass down to family members or friends getting married. Work with a designer whose style you love and see if they can help you create those special pieces just for you or your bridesmaids. Enjoy!

I had asked a friend of mine since my freshman year of college to be a bridesmaid in my wedding. She has known Chris and me for almost our whole relationship and has been very supportive of the ups and downs that came with it. I appreciated that in her but I’ve recently noticed some tension bubbling between us for awhile. Every time a little disagreement happened, it would get completely blown out of proportion and end up with us not speaking for a couple weeks. Petty arguments are not my thing. I’m a very direct person so I like to address things, resolve them and be done with them. I’ve learned that most disagreements are easy to forgive and forget when it comes to people who matter- but that theory has to go for both people. One person can’t always be playing peacemaker.

Wedding planning is stressful and hard. If fights start to happen with bridesmaids it can cause a friction that’s so horrible for the bride that it can be even more stressful than the wedding itself. This should not be happening. Your bridesmaids are your people who will be there to calm you down, take your stress away, and if necessary run interference between your future mother in law that drives you crazy or your drunk uncles groping guests. They are your go-to girls for whatever you need. They should NOT be bitching about the how inconvenienced they are, complaining about how horrible their dress is, or generally making you want to tear your hair out. If a bridesmaid starts to become a topic of vent sessions… it’s time to do something about it.

Demoting a bridesmaid sucks. It’s uncomfortable and weird, but sometimes it’s necessary to maintain your sanity and you shouldn’t feel badly about it. However, you should take the time to consider what you are about to do. Ask yourself a few questions-
1. Is an uncomfortable 5 minutes of asking them to step down, worth the relief of not having to deal with the person anymore?
2. Has your bridesmaid become a sore subject or topic of stress during your wedding planning?
3. Does your bridesmaid have the potential to ruin your day due to personal mini-dramas or problems because she won’t be able to put it aside for a few hours?

If your answer is yes to any or all of these questions, then you should consider asking your bridesmaid to step down or at least have a serious conversation about your worries and frustrations. If your bad seed bridesmaid cares enough, she will apologize and vow to change her attitude for your day. If she doesn’t and instead tries to argue with you, it’s time to pull the plug.

This is what happened in my case. Another argument ensued, after which I was completely reassured that I made the right decision. I am not a bridezilla and if this happens to you, you aren’t either! You deserve a perfect day and nothing should compromise that.

(book cover photo courtesy of “Bad Bridesmaid” by Siri Agrell)

Enter Two Birds Bridesmaid. A killer bridesmaid dress you can wear over 10 different ways and if you get creative, there are definitely many more options as well. It comes in a variety of colors of jersey knit so it’s lightweight and fits many occasions formal or casual. You can tailor this dress to whatever style you are going for in your wedding. You can have the consistency you want for your wedding party while still allowing your girls to have their own individual styles. The best part is that this dress can be worn long after their duties as a bridesmaid have ended. No matter what the color, this is a dress anyone can wear for just about anything… just don’t pair it with dyed to match shoes- yuck!

Another great plus about this dress is that it’s one size fits most. No alterations necessary. The first size fits sizes 0-16, because you twist the straps and tie them as tight as you need them to be. How great is it to know that if you gain a few pounds, you still have a dress that will still fit and look fabulous? If you’re larger than a size 16, Two Birds now offers a plus size option as well. If you want to cover up a bit more, they also offer matching color bandeau tops to wear underneath the dress.

The only downside of this dress is the cost. For the short version, the Two Birds Bridesmaid dress will set you back $270 and for the long version $290. If you want a bandeau, that will also cost you. The designer will even make this dress for you in a custom color, if what you are looking for isn’t available. But again, it will cost you extra. I feel this is a bit steep to make your bridesmaids pay for a dress, however the versatility of this dress might make it worth the price. Ask your bridesmaids what they think. They might be willing to shell out a little extra for a dress they will actually wear again instead of a cheaper dress that will end up in the GoodWill pile immediately following the wedding.

Yes… every picture you see is the exact same dress. Want your girls to cover up for the ceremony? Try this first option with cap sleeves. Then afterwards, let your girls kick back for the reception into something a little sexier by twisting and wrapping to make their own individual styles.

Check out more ways to wear the dress, as well as a How To Guide on the Two Birds website. You can also become a fan of them on Facebook and see real life testimonials of brides and bridesmaids who loved their dresses.